C0MMENTARY>>A day may come that will change your life forever

By Chief Master Sgt. Randy Patrick
314th Operations Group superintendent

Have you ever sat and thought about how important each of your family members are?

If something were to happen to you or one of your immediate family members, would you or your family be ready to handle the added stress?

Would you be able to maintain a normal household environment? Tragically, members of this base have had to deal with these very issues.

Many of you have seen it firsthand and have provided support and help where you could.

I must admit that I never gave it much thought until my own family was notified on July 18 that our 20-year-old daughter was involved in a serious automobile accident and sustained severe head injuries. When we arrived at the hospital, we were told that she had little hope of surviving. Thankfully, she is a fighter and is still hanging in there for us. I can tell you the added stress on our immediate family is enormous.

I enlisted in the Air Force over 28 years ago and have seen tragic events happen to other families. We were always there to help those families in any way we could. Never for a moment did we consider that we could be faced with a tragedy of our own.

When this tragic event occurred, our Air Force family immediately jumped into action. Base leadership, chaplain’s office and the military personnel element were all working behind the scenes as soon as my wife and I were notified of the accident.

The support our military family provided has truly been a blessing for us. As our daughter begins her long road to recovery, we know our military family is behind us and will assist in any way possible.

My point is this: after reading this article, call or go home and take a good look at your family.

Be thankful for what you have, for a day may come that will change your life forever.

Life as you know it could change in the blink of an eye. You’re not only in the Air Force … you’re a part of our Air Force family.